Probe having light delivery through combined optically diffusing and acoustically propagating element

Abstract

In an embodiment, an opto-acoustic probe includes an acoustic receiver, an optical energy path, and an exterior surface with a combined optical and acoustic port. The probe includes an acoustically transmissive optical distribution element having a distal surface and a proximal surface. The distal surface is adapted to be coupled to a volume of a biological tissue to deliver optical energy to the volume and to exchange acoustic energy with the volume and the proximal surface permits acoustic energy originating within the volume due to delivered optical energy to be detected by the acoustic receiver after the acoustic energy passes through the optical distribution element. The optical energy path of the probe is adapted to pass optical energy to one or more optical energy inputs of the optical distribution element. The optical distribution element distributes the optical energy from the one or more optical energy inputs to the distal surface and distributed optical energy exits the distal surface of the optical distribution element.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An opto-acoustic probe comprising an acoustic receiver, an optical energy path, and an exterior surface with a combined optical and acoustic port, the improvement being that the probe comprises:
 an acoustically transmissive optical distribution element, which optical distribution element comprises:
 a distal surface, the distal surface is adapted to be coupled to a volume of a biological tissue to deliver optical energy to the volume and to exchange acoustic energy with the volume; and, 
 a proximal surface proximate to the acoustic receiver to permit acoustic energy originating within the volume due to delivered optical energy to be detected by the acoustic receiver after the acoustic energy passes through the optical distribution element; 
   wherein the optical energy path of the probe is adapted to pass optical energy to one or more optical energy inputs of the optical distribution element, the optical distribution element distributes the optical energy from the one or more optical energy inputs to the distal surface and distributed optical energy exits the distal surface of the optical distribution element.   
     
     
         2 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element comprises the combined optical and acoustic port, and the distal surface of the optical distribution element is coplanar with the exterior surface of the probe. 
     
     
         3 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 2 , wherein the combined optical and acoustic port further comprises a protective layer. 
     
     
         4 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element is a solid-like material, and the distal surface and the proximal surface are parallel to each other and wherein the probe is free of any optical exit ports for delivering opto-acoustic optical energy besides the combined optical and acoustic port, and this is done in a manner whereby the probe appears in an ergonomic form of a conventional ultrasound probe. 
     
     
         5 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the acoustic receiver comprises a transducer array assembly, which transducer array assembly comprises transducer elements adapted to emit ultrasound transmit pulses of acoustic energy and which transducer array assembly comprises receiving transducer elements adapted to receive scatter of the ultrasound transmit pulses that have scattered within the volume, wherein the ultrasound transmit pulses travel through the optical distribution element prior to entering the volume. 
     
     
         6 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element comprises an acoustic lens. 
     
     
         7 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 6 , wherein the acoustic lens is an optically distributive acoustic lens, which acoustic lens comprises an optical energy input and the acoustic lens distributes optical energy, the optical energy exits the distal surface of the acoustic lens. 
     
     
         8 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 7 , wherein the proximal surface of the optically distributive acoustic lens is coated with an optically reflective coating that is acoustically transmissive. 
     
     
         9 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 6 , wherein the distal surface of the optical distributive acoustic lens is coated with an optically reflective coating that is acoustically transmissive. 
     
     
         10 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical energy path delivers optical energy to the optical distribution element from one or more side surfaces, which side surfaces are perpendicular to the distal surface, and scattered optical energy exists the distal surface of the optical distribution element after optically scattering within the optical distribution element. 
     
     
         11 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element comprises a scattering agent, and the optical energy distributed by the optical distribution element is distributed by scattering of optical energy by scattering agent. 
     
     
         12 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 8 , wherein the distributed optical energy that exits the distal surface is distributed homogenously. 
     
     
         13 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal surface of the optical distribution element comprises an optically reflective coating to reflect optical energy towards the distal surface. 
     
     
         14 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element absorbs at least a portion of the optical energy to produce a secondary acoustic return that interferes with a direct acoustic return component originating from the volume, wherein the opto-acoustic probe is operatively connected to an opto-acoustic system comprising a processing unit adapted to separate the secondary acoustic return from the direct acoustic return component using a component separation, and the system comprises a display to display an image based on the separated direct acoustic return component. 
     
     
         15 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein one portion of the optical distribution element comprises a first concentration of a scattering agent and a second portion of the optical distribution element comprises a second concentration of the scattering agent, the second concentration being different from the first concentration. 
     
     
         16 . The opto-acoustic probe of  claim 1 , wherein the optical distribution element comprises optically diffusing fiber.